General Morgan's Cave EarthCache
This cache has been locked, but it is available for viewing.
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THIS EC WILL BE SHUT DOWN 1 JANUARY 2009. THE OTTER CREEK PARK IS CLOSING. THE EC WILL OPEN UP WHEN THE PARK ALLOWS HIKERS ON ITS PROPERTY AGAIN.
Morgan's Cave was named for Confederate General John Hunt Morgan during the Civil War. Many legends are associated with Morgan. One of them has Morgan and his raiders using this cave as a hideout and storage point for their provisions. Historians say that Morgan and his men stopped to rest at Granettsville, on Otter Creek, for a day while on their way to Brandenburg. If they visited this cave while at Garnettsville, it was just for a very short while. Evidence of a mill at this location is quite obvious and the cave would not have been much of a hiding place with all of the business going on then.
This cave is also home to brown bats. They are a endangered species. The iron gate was placed to keep people out and to protect the bats while they rested and raised their young.
Take care when visiting this beatuful place.
A cave is a natural underground void large enough for a human to enter. Some people suggest that the term 'cave' should only apply to cavities that have some part which does not receive daylight; however, in popular usage, the term includes smaller spaces like sea caves, rock shelters and grottos.
Millions of years ago the beautiful bluegrass landscape of Kentucky was covered by a shallow sea. Deposits of tiny marine animals and plants on the sea floor formed thick layers of limestone. When exposed to weather, these layers of limestone became the world's best "cave forming" rock. Rainwater, mixed with carbon dioxide in the air and soil, formed a mild acid which slowly worked its way into cracks in the limestone and began to dissolve passages.
Most people don't realize that caves are important ecosystems which harbor a variety of rare and endangered species. Cave systems also contain significant archeological artifacts, fragile mineral formations, and easily contaminated water supplies. Otter Creek Park caves are susceptible to vandalism, looting by artifact hunters, and just plain carelessness when exploring. The water and animal life in Otter Creek's caves can easily be impacted by sewage, illegal dumping in sinkholes, uncontrolled soil erosion, chemical spills, and agricultural run off.
To get credit for this Earth Cache, post a picture of yourself (face included), with GPS in hand and the cave in the background and answer the following questions.
1. How wide is the entrance to the cave?
2. How fast (estimate) is the water flowing from the cave.
Logs with no photo of the actual geocacher logging the find or failure to answer questions will result in a log deletion. Exceptions will be considered if you contact me first (I realize sometimes we forget our cameras or the batteries die). Logs with no photos will be deleted without notice. I have used sources available to me by using google search to get information for this earth cache. I am by no means a geologist. I use books, internet, and asking questions about geology just like 99.9 percent of the geocachers who create these great Earth Caches. I enjoy Earth Caches and want people to get out and see what I see everytime I go and explore this great place we live in.
Please be careful when visiting this area. the rocks can be slippery when near the cave.
Exclusive permission has been granted for placement of this Earth Cache by Otter Creek Park. A special thank you to Otter Creek for allowing geocaching in their parks.
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Treasures
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